The S*n had the story too. Although they didn't know where Truro is.


 

 
Those Romans just didn't get the concept of 'future-proofing' their infrastructure designs, did they?

 
My first introductions to computing were (at home) a Commodore VIC 20, then a ZX Spectrum. At school we had Acorn Electrons and a few BBC B Microcomputers.

 
An issue with Google's estimate of Kemble being a nine minute drive from the centre of Cirencester might be that it's an unreliable nine minutes, given the capacity of the A429/A433 't' junction which might make it a bit of a 'mare to provide a bus service over and above what there already is.

Cirencester has an active travel plan from 2022 (100+ pages, link below). That possibly struggles, given that the town has that wishbone-shaped dual carriageway ring road that without spending £££££££ makes it a bit of a struggle to overcome the severence imposed by those roads as built.

And then the town's odd mixture of popularity as a destination, the historic fabric and layout imposed by everyone from the romans via the Bathursts, to the dominance of road as a mode of travel, the several large car parks that the town centre hosts, the urban industrial estate/vehicle-served retail - and also that development has trashed the town's two rail corridors and also the canal. It would be interesting to know what the dutch would do with Cirencester.

Mark

https://www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/media/o2vbvw4b/cirencester-lcwip-v20-final-plus-exsum.pdf

 
Seen here in the West Highlands during its inaugural visit back in October 2021....

 
As hardware stores go, John Brown's is a truly excellent example: I've been a frequent customer there for some forty years.

From the BBC:

 
From The BBC

 
Oh - another of those "sounds like it's near' jobs - Beaulieu Park is nowhere near Beaulieu Road rather like Barry Links is nowhere near Barry Island, Docks (and town) and come to think of it - err -Liverpool Street v Liverpool Lime Street.

https://www.passenger.chat/BEU.html

I digress - wish it well, noting that the publicity makes positive light of the abstraction of traffic from Chelmesford's station - a quote worthwhile in helping the Devizes Gateway case to abstract traffic from the next two stations east, both of which have monumental parking problems and create rat-run flows on unsuitable roads.

 
From the BBC:

 

Don't worry about it, have a nice day y'all! 

 
Tarka line is currently closed due to a collison between 2B73 and a car at Umberleigh level crossing.

No RRB as no availability within 50 miles of Barnstaple or Exeter

 
At some stops on the D1 in Bath, the on board announcements do advise alighting passengers to watch out for cyclists.

Many years ago I was stuck by a cyclist as I got off a bus on the way to school.   I think my mother was more annoyed about the paperwork she had to fill in to get my NHS glasses replaced.

 
I'm sorry.

CfN.

 

Not much notice of these changes.

 

As with so many horrors (not limited to linguistics), it originated in the USA and has travelled across the Atlantic.

So it's their bad.

 
Waay off topic, but not worth starting a new topic.

"My bad" has rapidly crept into our usage (as do many other words and expressions).
Is this a lesser form of sorry perhaps.

Our children use it frequently.
We still use "sorry".

Too pedantic? 

 
On that first link, autumn sunlight and a full minute's 'Engine idling' recording from the railbus at the platform at Cirencester Town. This might be 2025, but easy to imagine it clearing its throat to alert the passengers on board and then bus-rumbling its way into the long cutting that took the line away from the terminus, its signature sound distinctly audible to the solitary figure waiting at Chesterton Lane Halt.

Mark

https://recorder.google.com/e8304697-ffed-4483-a50f-3e78f2a8157b


http://www.disused-stations.org.uk/c/chesterton_lane_halt/index.shtml

 
Delays to services between Reading and London Paddington

Due to damage to the overhead electric wires between Reading and London Paddington:

Train services running to and from these stations may be delayed. Disruption is expected until 12:00 26/10.

 
What is the difference between an island bus stop and a floating bus stop?

An island bus stop is a stop at which you board or leave your bus from a pedestrian area - a patch of pavement - set between or beyond a cycle lane and the main motor vehicle lane.  You can stand and wait on the island for your bus, and as you step off an arriving bus you are in pedestrian "territory". (@)

A floating bus stop is one which is across a cycle lane - as you board the bus, cyclists give way to you to cross their lane, and as you get of the bus, they'll give way to you. You get directly off and on the bus from the area that is shared with that other wheeled traffic, which is supposed to give way to you.

The bus services bill has - I understand from TravelWatch SouthWest - a late addition that bans floating bus stops.  Probably on safety grounds (though no reason needs be written into an act) as there have been incidents with people whizzing by on cycles and scooters and knocking into people just getting off the bus.

Here are some pictures - and it turns out there are not that many of "pure" floating bus stops - there is often a little island large enough to use to step on and off the bus, but too small to linger on for more than a few seconds - certainly not to wait in a crowd or in the rain.

Swindon's new bus boulevard - an island which includes all the facilities


London - another example of an island with shelter


Bath - an island perhaps, but one you can't realistically wait on - so is it really a floater?


Bath again  this is a floater for sure?


And here is a definite floating bus stop. Step off straight into the cycles who are not even asked to slow!


In Melksham - a basic bus stop on a shared use path. And this is the closest stop and main stop for the doctor's surgery.


There is concern that, whilst safety is paramount, banning floating bus stops will make it far harder and more expensive - and sometimes impractical or impossible to provide a bus stop at all.  And there is further concern as to the status of exisiting floating bus stops - whether they will need to be changed (and if so on what time scale) and whether bus stops may be lost in the process, or limuted funding diverted away from other improvements to fix somthing which - yes, is a concern - but perhaps should not be the priority that a law change makes it.

@ - "We" are not helped by the term "floating bus stop" being in quite common udage to define what are technically both floating and island bus stops. In fact, this post may raise some eyebrows as to my definition.

See also ...
https://road.cc/content/news/safety-fears-raised-over-bath-cycle-lane-floating-bus-stops-297941
https://www.route-one.net/news/shared-space-floating-bus-stops-design-in-england-to-be-paused/
https://cbwmagazine.com/calls-for-ban-on-floating-bus-stops-in-london/

 
Seven years ... quietly there, the Coffee Shop's Facebook Page.   Time and technology has moved on a little; I still do the odd share to there, but now it provides an https link to a page that should be more (but not totally yet) responsive to screen size and with an image from my library.

Somewhat testing here to see if this works.  For regular Coffee Shop members, you'll see a picture I took while waiting in the "Station Pub" in a nearby town, watching my train tracking from the bar, and checking on bus pictures taken earlier in the day.  No coffee but rather a fruit cider - after all, it *was* the evening and I could relax and have an occasional sip or alcohol.

 
An advert on my data feed had me looking and making use of the extra hour of the night. Some of these have published a program for the start of 2026, some not yet.  Who have I missed?  Who do you recommend?  [Disclaimer - I very rarely travel on or study these specials or even photograph them - main interest is general public rail and increasingly road transport]

https://www.statesmanrail.com/trips-tours/
https://www.belmond.com
https://westcoastrailways.co.uk/railtours
https://midlandpullman.com/trips-tours/
https://vintagetrains.co.uk/train-rides/
https://www.ukrailtours.com/shop/
https://www.railwaytouring.net

 

Very thoughtful and interesting report - thank you.  Sadly, it has confirmed my decision not to make the trip today, and to leave your report as the record of a Coffee Shop member who has.

It would be lovely to see a Sunday bus service from Kemble ... Google (which is good for multimodal suggestions) is suggesting a 2 hour and 11 minute journey today, a 30 minute journey tomorrow, and 9 minute drive. Quicker today to walk (1 hour and 49 minute, just over 4 miles) or cycle (27 minutes) today. And walking, cycling and your private car, you can start NOW without a wait.

I can't even put the bike on the train ... for the train has turned into a bus this morning.   Read not "Rail Replacement Bus" - read "Alternative Public Transport" and I note that I cannot use my bus pass on the bus ...  they expect me to pay rail prices for what is (for what I need) the inferior bus service.

 

My own bad for not reading JayMac's very kind invitation message, offering me a lift in his car down to Taunton, before I eventually read it - after the event.

Thanks anyway, Finn. Biscuit for you.

 
Below was the first PC that I was exposed to way back in 1979 - the Commodore PET with its particular version of BASIC [courtesy of Wiki-Commons Cc-by-sa-2.0-fr].

Though I cut my programming teeth at a tender age on a TI-58 that I took to uni - that taught me program [sic] logic. When it came to the Commodore's BASIC, it was just a shift in language statements.

My favourite is the programmer that was sent out to the shops by his wife'

   "Get me a pint of milk, and if they have eggs, get me a dozen".

He arrives home with 12 pints of milk,

Wife: , "What the actual.. ? !!!"

"They had eggs."

 

That is all far too true, grahame.

My (elderly) father lives in Cirencester.  If I needed to attend to him at any time, it would require a car journey.

 

No need - in fact totally logical for you with all the circumstance, and for some others too.

 
My grandad (* 1908) had the most amazing driving licence. Every conceivable category including (what was then) tracked, road roller and trolley vehicle - and he never sat a test in his life.

Apprenticed as a motor mechanic in the late 1920s, he was sent out to the Post Office with his 3/6 to get a driving licence, (radio and dog licences were also available at the same counter) and off he went. Grandfather [sic] Clauses assured the rest, and he drove thus to his dying day.  Not behind the wheel, I must add.

 
Your bad what?

 
Purely for the record (and I may have posted this personal information before, on the Coffee Shop forum), I have a squeaky clean driving licence for manual and automatic vehicles, which I've held since August 1986.

It has stood me in good stead, enabling me to drive various delivery vans in a previous employment, for example.

Personally, I'm not a particular fan of automatics - but that's the way things are going, apparently.

My advice to any young driver applying for their driving test is to just go for it - with the current waiting lists, anything is better than nothing, and you can hopefully upgrade it at some time in the future.

CfN.

 
I stumbled upon the Severn Beach Miniature Railway Facebook page today.  Quite a few recent posts, one of which went into some detail about the latest developments including their wait for planning permission, designing stations, rolling stock and an appeal for loan of excavation/fence posting equipment.  Seems that the Severn Beach steam dream is still alive.